Burr Rose
Rosa roxburghii
Rose family (Rosaceae)
Wild and prickly
The chestnut rose is a wild rose from the west of China. The shrub itself appears rather unruly. The bark on the base of the woody branches peels off and the leaves are made up of many small leaflets. If this bush and its flowers, which in general comprise five pale pink petals, are very similar when compared with other roses - the hips are the total opposite.
The fruits, or hips, of the chestnut rose are green, round and prickly and look very similar to the unopened fruit of the horse chestnut tree. This was apparent to botanists who first described this species based on a specimen in the Calcutta Botanical Garden, India, in 1820. It was nearly 100 years later during a botanical expedition that the chestnut rose was finally discovered in the wild.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Belmonte Arboretum.
The edible fruit are very rich in vitamins and have a sweet-sour taste; they are used to ferment wine.
The fruit as well as the roots are used medicinally.
The species is also cultivated as an ornamental for its showy flowers or as a hedge because of its abundant prickles.
There is a layer of hairs around the seeds just beneath the flesh of the fruit. These hairs can cause irritation to the mouth and digestive tract if ingested.
Details
| Description: | Shrub, up to 1.2 m. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | China |
| Habitat: | Mountain forests, thickets, hillsides, stream sides; 500 -1400 m in altitude; also cultivated |
| Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
| Hardiness: | -4 - 5 f (hardy - very cold winter) |
| Flowering period: | Juni |
| Flower color: | Red, pink |
| Notes on flowers: | Roze bloem doorsnede 7,5 cm. |
| Fruiting period: | Augustus - oktober |
| Fruit color: | Green, orange, red |
| Notes on fruits: | Ronde groene bottel met oranjerode stekels. |
| At its best: | Juni - oktober |